Our planet deserves better. There I said it. Go ahead, call me a tree-hugging hippie, but the fact that I care about the planet that we live on is not something that should be made fun of or ridiculed. I believe that our climate is changing and that the ice caps aren't just melting willy nilly. I believe that we are the reason our climate is changing, too. The generations that have come before mine have set our planet up for disaster, but hey, I am not holding it against them.
The human race had to go through changes in order to keep up with the times and industrialize. Before the Industrial Revolution, we as humans were pretty mindful of our planet. As we industrialized, things went downhill. We began to become careless with the chemicals we put into the atmosphere, the water, and even our land due to landfills. I don't blame the generations before me though because they just genuinely did not know the effects that their actions would have on our planet. But now, as the millennial generation gets older, we have to be the ones kickstart an environmental revolution.
Let's start by getting everyone on board. Young and old, there's something for everyone to do. Let's start with the simplest thing: Recycling. It helps way more than anyone realizes. When you throw away recyclable things in the non-recycling bin, they go from your trash can into the garbage truck. From there, they go on a journey to the landfill. The dreaded landfill. When recyclable items sit in the landfill (plastic for up to 1000 years, cans for between 200 and 500 years) or on the side of the road if you're one of those people, they release harmful toxins into our Earth which can affect our groundwater and the chemical levels of our soil. They can also harm our animals and plants (in America alone 1,361 are threatened or endangered.) Recycling can also be helpful for our economy by creating jobs and opportunities and also it can help US businesses save money.
I know that recycling doesn't always happen. Sometimes you're in a rush and you just throw it in the trash. Even a little bit helps, but the more recycling the better for our planet that deserves better. Another way to help our planet is to use less gasoline (or fossil fuels), go solar, or go electric. I understand that not everyone can just buy a brand new super expensive electric car or afford to place solar panels on top of their roofs. The fact that these things even exist is incredible though, because that means that one day those options will be affordable for everyone! Our generation must work towards getting there because fossil fuels aren't going to last forever. At the rate we mine for coal and dig for precious oils, we are bound to run out sometime because of how slowly they replenish.
Our climate is changing because of the harmful toxins being put into the air by the giant power and manufacturing plants we have dotting our landscapes. I understand the need for these, but we should push for our local, state, and national leaders to put more legislation into place to protect our environment from the toxins and waste that these plants create. We need people lobbying for legislation that in the end will be helpful. We also need to support agencies (EPA) and protection groups out there because sometimes the people in charge aren't going to care about our planet and climate change. Our planet needs help and soon, before it's too late. Before the damage done is irreversible. Our planet deserves better and we should be the ones to start helping it.
